Ford Explorer
The Ford Explorer is a mid-size sport utility vehicle produced by the American manufacturer Ford since 1991, and since 2012 based on a crossover platform. The Ford Explorer became one of the most popular sport utility vehicles on the road. The model years 1991 through 2010 were traditional body-on-frame, mid-size SUVs. For the 2011 model year, Ford moved the Explorer to a more modern unibody, full-size crossover SUV platform, the same Volvo-derived platform the Ford Flex and Ford Taurus use although with significantly greater ground clearance. It is slotted between the traditional body-on-frame, full-size Ford Expeditionand the mid-size CUV Ford Edge. Although outwardly similar, the fifth generation Explorer, Ford Edge and Ford Escape do not share platforms. The fifth generation Explorer does, however, share platforms with the Ford Flex and Lincoln MKT. The original Explorer has also been involved in controversy, after a spate of fatal rollover accidents in the 1990s involving Explorers fitted with Firestone tires. Both two-door Explorer Sport and four-door models of Explorer have been sold. Part-time four-wheel drive is an available option, and since 1995 this has been a 'shift on the fly' system with full protection against being engaged at high speed. A specially modified Special Service Vehicle version is also available from Ford Fleet for law enforcement agencies, fire departments, andEMS agencies. Explorer was also the name of a trim package offered on the Ford F-Series trucks from 1968 to 1986. The 2011 Ford Explorer was named North American Truck of the Year. 1st Generation The Ford Explorer was introduced in March 1990 for the 1991 model year. First generation Explorers were equipped with the then new 155 hp (116 kW) 4.0 L Cologne V-6, manufactured in Cologne, Germany. Vehicles came with either Ford's own 4-speed A4LD automatic transmission, built in France, or Mazda's 5-speed M5OD manual transmission. Like the Bronco II it replaced, it was an SUV derivative of the Ranger pickup, thus Explorers came equipped with many of the Ranger's optional features. Like its direct competitor, the Chevrolet S-10 Blazer, Explorers were available in both 3-door and 5-door body styles and with either rear-wheel drive or four-wheel drive. The four-wheel drive versions were equipped with a Borg Warner 13–54 part-time four-wheel drive transfer case. The 13–54 was available with either "Touch Drive" electronic push-button shifting or manuallever-operated shifting. Both were "shift-on-the-fly" designs that allowed the SUVs to be shifted from two-wheel drive to "four-high" at any speed and into "four-low" when the vehicle was stopped. All Explorers were equipped with the Ford 8.8 axle in either a limited slip or open version with a variety of available gear ratios. Four-wheel-drive front axles were the TTB ("Twin Traction Beam") Dana 35 with some Dana 44-spec components. Explorers initially came in 4 trim levels: the base model XL (which was later replaced with the XLS trim package as the base trim), XLT, Sport (only available on 3-door model), and the upscale Eddie Bauer edition. For the 1993 model year, engine output was increased by 5 hp (4 kW) for a total of 160 hp (119 kW). The Limited edition, added for the 1993 model year, was available only in the 5-door body style and was positioned at the top of the lineup above the Eddie Bauer edition. It featured automatic headlights, an auto-dimming rear-view mirror, foglamps, a center roof console with compass and outsidethermometer, unique wheels and grille, and an automatic transmission as standard equipment. The grill and headlight trims on the Limited edition were paint-matched to thebody color, unlike the chrome (XLT) or black plastic (XL) versions on other trim levels. Similar to the 5-door Ford Explorer, the 3-door Explorer Sport model came in both rear-wheel drive and four-wheel drive variants. It replaced the Ford Bronco II as Ford's 3-door mid-size SUV. A variant of the Explorer Sport was sold by Mazda as the Navajo, which won Motor Trend Truck of the Year award, until it was discontinued in 1994. A common complaint about the first generation models is that the light-duty A4LD automatic transmission, which was basically the 3-speed Ford C3 transmission with an overdrive gear, was not well-suited for towing and was unable to cope with higher power output from modified engines. The A4LD was also known to suffer premature failure of the overdrive gear (or 4th gear) when used to frequently tow or haul heavy loads. Improved fluid cooling using aftermarket transmission coolers can alleviate these issues. Also, the automatic locking front hubs on four-wheel drive vehicles tended to fail prematurely; the manual versions, made for Ford by Warn, suffered from fewer reliability problems. Category:Ford Category:Post-war Category:Modern